Category Archives: labor issues

About Face: GM to Add 400 Jobs for New Chevy Electric Vehicle after Critical Trump Tweets About Closing Lordstown

The announcements came less than a week after a rabid series of tweets by Trump about the closing of Lordstown, OH, which was one of the four plants GM said in November that would be idled in its latest cost cutting moves. GM declined to say if these were replacement jobs from abandoned workers’ or new jobs. The United Auto Workers union is in court against GM saying that they must be negotiated with the union. Continue reading

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1,700 workers strike at Hankook Tire in Hungary

IndustriALL Global Union affiliate, the Federation of Chemical Workers of Hungary (VDSZ), which represents workers at Hankook’s Dunaújváros plant in central Hungary, says that 70% of 2,400 shift workers have joined the indefinite strike that began on 12 March.   Continue reading

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Michigan to Make First AVs, but Loses Ford Transit to Mexico

In a transparent attempt at spin – in AutoCrat’s view laughable and tragic – Ford is re-adding a second shift at Flat Rock. The plant will become the production home to vehicles from the company’s next-generation battery electric flexible architecture. These vehicles will follow, ahem, the all-electric performance SUV coming in 2020 from Ford’s Cuautitlan, Mexico plant. Continue reading

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IndustriALL Endorses Global Agreements to Fight and Shape Policy on the Growing Number of Auto Plant Closures

So whither auto plants with their well-paid, highly skilled and heavily unionized work? Plant closures and retrenchments in several countries is worrying for unions. Continue reading

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Trade Wars: FCA to Expand Production Capacity in Michigan

Given his vast international experience, Manley appears ideal to negotiate the choppy waters of ongoing and yet unknown trade wars and protect FCA’s investment of nearly $14.5 billion since 2009, with ~30,000 jobs created to date. All automakers are against Trump trade policy by twitter. Continue reading

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Unions Protest Closing of Ford Plant Leningrad Region

Although the closure of the Vsevolozhsk plant has not been confirmed, Ford announced in January 2019 that it would review its development strategy in Russia. Depending on the review, the plant in Vsevolozhsk and two plants to produce cars and engines in the Republic of Tatarstan may be closed. Continue reading

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Ford Exits Heavy Truck Business in South America

Most of these pre-tax special item charges and cash outflows of 4460 million will be recorded in 2019 and are part of the $11 billion in EBIT charges with cash-related effects of $7 billion the company expects to take in the redesign of its global business. Continue reading

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GM to Invest $36 Million in Lansing Plant. Oshawa Still Doomed

The announcement – some would call it tone deaf – came closely followed Sting and cast promoting Unifor’s #SaveOshawaGM campaign. Sting and the cast of his musical, The Last Ship, were in front of thousands of Unifor members and the public for a Valentine’s Day solidarity performance, held in the heart of downtown Oshawa. The legendary musician began with “Message in a Bottle,” and after several numbers from the musical, closed with “Every Breath You Take.” Continue reading

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Japanese-brand Automakers Generate 1.52 Million Jobs in US

It doesn’t estimate how many are lost to oversees manufacturing and imports. Thus, go the one-sided volleys in the ongoing automotive trade wars. Continue reading

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Trump Tariffs Hurt New Auto Prices, Jobs, Consumers

NADA is worried that under a 25% tariff on all imports and parts, “consumers would see the price of the typical vehicle sold in the United States rise by $4,400. Prices of U.S.‐assembled vehicles rise due to an increase in the cost of imported vehicle parts, adding $2,270 to the price. For the typical imported vehicle, these tariffs raise consumer prices by $6,875 per vehicle.” Continue reading

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Battery Handlers or Sorters Untrained, at Risk from Lithium

Battery Council International says the lead battery recycling process was uniquely designed for lead batteries. Lead batteries have almost a 100% recycling rate. However, when lithium batteries enter the lead battery recycling stream, they pose a serious threat to lead battery recyclers’ employees and equipment. This is because lithium batteries can explode if they are crushed during the lead battery recycling process. Continue reading

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Cars for Cheese? EU Turning Point in Japanese Localization

In 2018, the three UK Japanese transplants of Nissan, Toyota and Honda collectively produced over 730,000 cars, which represent almost half of all Light Vehicles built in Britain. Continue reading

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Rolls-Royce: Record Apprenticeship Places Open

Since the program was launched in 2006, numbers have progressively increased, with 2019 offering a record 31 candidates the opportunity to join the team at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex, United Kingdom. Continue reading

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GM Canada Sales Drop 15% as Boycott Bites

The boycott against GM for its Canadian job cuts and the closing of the award winning – for productivity and quality – Oshawa plant in violation of its Unifor union contract announced at the end of last year is having a negative effect on Canadians’ purchase consideration. Continue reading

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Taycan Jobs at Porsche Exceeds 30,000

Porsche claims there’s no sign of that growth stopping. Over the next few months the company is intending to hire upwards of 1,000 skilled employees just to build the Taycan and its derivative Taycan Cross Turismo, both of which are the first electric sports cars to come out of Zuffenhausen. Continue reading

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